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A fiery, red-headed newbie Vegan who loves wine, food, reading, writing, and all things curious.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Curry Carrot Oat Latkes & Pecan Encrusted Tempeh...DOUBLE CHALLENGE DAY!

A day of challenges but not a challenging day. 

First up: Vegan Mofo Iron Chef Challenge: 

Carrots and Oats

Wanting to make a savory dish--I made latkes but instead of the traditional potatoes, I used carrots. What is a latke you wonder? You can read a little history about latkes HERE

I added a little curry powder which blended nicely with the carrots. Serve with the traditional accompaniments of vegan sour cream and unsweetened applesauce. These made a simple, light lunch. 

Curry Carrot Oat Latkes

Ingredients:
3 cups Carrots, grated*
2 cups Potatoes, grated*
1/2 cup Onion, grated*
2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
2/3 cup Whole Oats, ground fine
1/4 tsp Curry Powder
3 Egg Replacers (I used Ener-G) 
Canola Oil for frying

Instructions:

*NOTE: After you have grated the carrot, potato and onion wrap them in towels and ring them dry. Remember the rule: Oil and Water don't mix. This is a critical step for good frying.

1. Combine grated, dried, carrot, potato, and onion in a large bowl. 
2. In a small bowl, combine salt, baking powder, curry powder, and ground oats. 
3. Mix in dry ingredients and egg replacers in with the grated veggies. Mix until well combine but don't over-stir.
4. Heat oil in pan for frying. I used about a 1/2 cup but I have a big pan. 
5. Using a medium spoon, ( a regular tablespoon), scoop mixture and flatten into a "pancake" and drop into hot oil. 
6. Cook about 3-4 minutes on each side so that pancakes are golden and crispy. Drain on paper towels. Serve and enjoy!



Now as you have read before, my girls over at Vegan Cooking & Cookbooks at Goodreads like to have challenges of our own. Today we had a PECAN challenge! Another wonderful Autumn ingredient, the pecan is best known this time of year as the star of creamy, gooey Pecan Pie. But sticking with a savory theme I wanted to combine some of my favorite flavors and ingredients. 

Pecan Encrusted Tempeh had to be made. I added sweetness by dipping the tempeh in a duck sauce/sherry wine mixture before dredging in pecans. The result: "4.5 Stars," says the hubs! 
I'll take that!



Pecan Encrusted Tempeh
Steamed Broccoli
Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Pecan Encrusted Tempeh

Ingredients:

8 oz Tempeh ( I used a wild rice tempeh from Whole Foods)
1/4 cup Duck Sauce 
2 tbsp Sherry Cooking Wine
1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
1/2 cup Pecans, ground 
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
Canola Oil for frying
2 tbsp Pecans, roughly chopped for garnish

Instructions:

1. Mix the ground pecans, cinnamon, salt, and panko breadcrumbs together in a shallow bowl and leave aside.
2. Mix the duck sauce, sherry, and red pepper flakes together in a separate shallow bowl. 
3. Put all-purpose flour in a separate shallow bowl. 
4. Cut tempeh into four even pieces. 
5. Heat oil in pan, I used 1/4 cup for this.
6. Take a piece of tempeh, dredge in flour, and shake off excess. Dip in sherry mixture and coat, shaking off excess. Roll around in pecan crumbs, coating well. Repeat for all four pieces. 
7. Put tempeh in hot oil, frying 5 minutes on each side. The tempeh is done when it is browned.
8. Let rest on paper towel for a few minutes to soak up excess oil. Plate with some chopped pecans on top. 

The tempeh has a creamy, nutty flavor and paired with the sweetness of the pecans and sauce it is a wonderful Autumn dish!

Look at that crust!

Mmmm....

Check out some of these other wonderful blogs for some Pecan dishes:



I can't believe October is coming to a close and with it,Vegan Mofo. I know I didn't exactly stick with my theme, but it has been so much fun blogging! I know I have certainly learned a lot of great vegan cooking ideas, and met some wonderful vegans this month! 

13 comments:

  1. Both dishes look really tasty. Great idea for cooking tempeh, I never quite figured out what to do with it, other than baking in thin slices for salads or stir-frying with veggies.

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  2. You should open a restaurant. I'm not a fan of tempeh but absolutely everything else looks wonderful! And this is a terrific tempeh recipe for those who enjoy it.

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  3. Thank you! My step-daughter asks all the time, "when are you going to open a restaurant or cafe?" I would love to but it really is so much work. I have thought about doing some vegan catering.

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  4. Oh those Latkes sound delicious!
    I never cooked with Tempeh and probably won't for a while until I'm able to find it for a cheaper price than what it costs here, but it looks great! :)

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  5. Thanks Val. My step-daughter...who "hates" carrots was so hesitant to have a latke but she tried one anyway and grimaced. She grimaced because she really liked them which meant...carrots might not be so bad after all! lol

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  6. wow that pecan crusted tempeh looks amazing - I have loved doing crusted tofu but never done this with tempeh - I am inspired.

    Am curious about the duck sauce - what is in it (am I right in thinking it is sauce for duck rather than sauce made out of duck?)

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  7. Oooo those Latkes look delicious!!!

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  8. Duck sauce is not made with duck :) And this one is vegan. It is a condiment used for duck or poultry, but I love it on most Asian dishes and have even put a dollop on plain rice. You can find it in your local grocery store in the Asian foods section. It is made with apricots and is sweet with a little kick of heat. It is one of my favorite condiments.

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  9. Thanks Emmy. I think I have to make some more this weekend as they were eaten very quickly :)

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  10. I was going to ask about Duck sauce but see someone has beat me to it! Sounds really interesting and your pecan encrusted tempeh looks fantastic. I do like tempeh and love to learn new ways to cook it.

    And latkes are delicious too. I've not had much luck making them, perhaps I don't strain enough liquid off because they always come out soggy.

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  11. I want to learn how to make my own duck sauce because it does have a higher sugar content than most condiments. I love the flavor of it.

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